If you’re like me and shoot everything in RAW, then you’ll know what a pain it is to view them quickly on a desktop computer. In this tutorial, I will show you how to view your photos quicker by batch converting your files into JPEG / TIFF. I am using CS6, however, the process for previous versions are similar.

﻿Step 1﻿Open Photoshop and then go to File>Scripts>Image Processor

Step 2A dialogue box will appear. Select the RAW images you want to process using “Select Folder.” By selecting an entire folder, you will be converting all items within the folder.

Step 3

Then select the location where the converted images will be saved to. If you don’t specify a location by selecting a folder, Photoshop will automatically create a separate folder containing the JPEGS.

Step 4

Choose the format you want the RAW files to be saved as (JPEG, TIFF or PSD). I usually check the JPEG box.

Step 5

You also have an option to run an Action (for example: place a vignette on all converted images). I never specify an action when I’m converting these images for viewing purposes. Actions are incredibly useful though if you are using the same effect on multiple photos.

Keep the ICC Profile (International Color Consortium) checked.

Step 6

Once everything is in place, hit Run and let the magic begin! With the converted JPEGS, you’ll be able to quickly preview each photo without having to open them individually in Photoshop.

****Side note: Photoshop won’t notify you when the conversions are complete.****

Check our blog page for more tips and updates on marketing and design strategies.

It’s that time of year again….the new year! And with it comes a fresh list of resolutions. I am always striving to become better at what I do simply because I am passionate about it. Without skills and goals, how far can that passion take you? This year, I want to focus on improving myself as a designer. So here it goes:1. Organize. Naturally, I am a controlled chaos kind of gal; however, categorizing your skill level as such is not ideal. Properly naming my PSD layers, creating a color-code process for marking up designs (pink means change it, green means keep it), creating a folder system to organize design files and having an endless supply of post-it notes are ways in which I plan to take my organization skills to the next level. 2. Fonts. I resolve that in 2015 I will never use comic sans or papyrus in any design project. Personal, professional or even as a joke. The only exception for Comic Sans's use is:

When making a political statement and it actually works (as seen when the NBA players wore protest shirts bearing the words “I Cant Breathe” written in Comic Sans)

Or in a kindergartner’s classroom

And papyrus needs to stay in the trash. There are so many great fonts on the market these days that it’s absurd to resort to these overly used (and might I add, hideous) ones. Google has some great open source fonts for the web, and Typekit never fails me if I’m looking for fresh, unique fonts. 3. Sketch! Going back to the basics. I want to make more time for doodling, tinkering, scribbling and any other synonym for this inspirational past-time. If sketching isn't enticing for you, make it enticing by getting cool sketchbooks (http://appsketchbook.com/products/responsive-design-sketchbook) or accessible ones (http://fieldnotesbrand.com/ ). The basis for all great design is an illustration. And who knows, maybe that unicorn mermaid you drew a couple months ago will be the new logo for that hot new start up… 4. Share. Instagramming my doodles, tinkerings, scribbles and drawings. Instagram is a great resource for being inspired and connecting with fellow creative types. Not to mention, it helps strengthen your OMC, boost your web presence, gain followers, obtain new clients/projects and most importantly, make new friends (awwwww!).Is this a double, triple or quadruple win? None! It's an Infinity win!5. Practice What I Preach. Create a LinkedIn account. It’s the year two-thousand and fifteen; I work at a marketing and design agency, advise majority of my clients to have a LinkedIn and don’t have a LinkedIn myself. My only excuse for this is it’s because I’m not from this century, kind of like a Back to the Future situation, but in reverse. I don’t understand the importance of improving my search engine optimization, web presence, supplying Google with positive information and letting the professional world know that I am indeed a professional. Yes. That’s my excuse…but not for long. Need more reasons to join LinkedIn? Read this articleand then check out Ruby Porter’s LinkedIn6. Get Out Of My Comfort Zone. I purchased a Wacom tablet awhile back, but have yet to become adept at using it. I haven’t dove into using this incredible piece of technology simply because I am so comfortable using my Logitech mouse. I am doing my design-self no favors by not exploring this option. Let’s go down this road together! Find which tablet will be the best for you here

7. Inspirational Breaks. I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one. Everyone should do this. No matter what field you work in. In fact, I am going to do this right now! Cheers to all the good things that this New Year will bring!

When you’re creating a product as a designer-client duo, it’s incredibly important to understand each other’s terminology. I find this especially true when designing a website. The two terms that get mixed up (and inevitably cause bumps in communication) are wireframes and mockups. A wireframe is incredibly simple: designed in black and white, a wireframe’s main purpose is layout and functionality. The placement of buttons, images, icons, padding, and order of pages are usually depicted by simple boxes, some dummy text and an arrow or two. Much like building a house, the first steps to creating a website is constructing the blueprint. In the design world, this blueprint is called a wireframe. Once the wireframes for the website are laid out, the fun part begins…the mockup! The mockup is a glimpse as to what the website will look like. Colors, background images, textures, fonts and patterns are used to populate the designated areas that were laid out by the wireframe. Mockups are what give your wireframes life.

These two terms easily meld together for the client who is quickly disappointed when a plain black and white wireframe is presented in front of them when they were expecting a color-popping layout. I’ve found that the simplicity of the wireframes is what makes this complicated. Nothing is black and white, right? Wrong. Wireframes are. Black and white turns into colors, different fonts and button styles with the mockups.

If these two terms can be clearly defined at the beginning of the website design process, not only will communication be clearer, but you’ll be able to arrive at a design that both please the client and designer.

Is your brand connecting with your customers and potential clients? Is your brand synonymous within its market or are does it feel like you’re simply producing another commodity. A great brand is a necessity - not a luxury. Branding is the tool that turns your product into a recognizable name brand. Think Coke, Apple, Audi or Nikon each a brand synonymous with their product. Name brands have inherent value that garners trust & belief in its products and services. That inherent value that comes with your product is what consumers are willing to pay for, go out of their way for. Your brand is the public face of your business, a diplomat for you in foreign lands. If your brand isn’t able to stand out in a crowded market and make itself heard, it might be time to think about re-branding your business. Though, growing your brand isn’t simply changing your logo, there’s brand messaging, not to mention strengthening your company’s personality and culture to think about. An update to your brand messaging can connect you with a new generation, a new set of consumers that will grow with your brand. Consumers are always looking for the next big thing, a newer better product/service and if you stay stagnant it allows your competition to move past you. Competition whose products and services can’t compare to yours. Your business’ personality is driven by the culture you foster within. A re-branding can help liven up your current culture and help attract a new type of employee – to form a workforce that is driven and excited like the culture you want to project. A re-branding is a great way to wipe the slate clean, learn from the past and create a newer better future for yourself. A re-branding can help you stay dynamic. As a small business grows, a re-branding can show your old customers that you put money back into the business, an honorable trait often overlooked by businesses these days. New customers with prior knowledge of your products and services will see your business as becoming more sophisticated, reaching a new level of complexity and confidence not seen in the competition. New technology spurs on business development and if your business is tech based, then keeping pace with new business trends is a must. Your brand should reflect your ability to meet the needs of the times and your literature should express your interest in and your contributions toward the ever developing business landscape. Customers who hunger for growth and change abhor status quo’s… Be a game-changer, catch their eye with the first glance and hold it. Turn that prospective buyer into a life-long customer. The re-branding gurus of Ruby Porter Marketing & Design aren’t here to sell you a product; we are here to provide our expertise. We are here to help you make the best decision for your business and your future. Whether you’re contemplating a new logo, new brand guidelines, or a complete re-brand of your entire business, we’re here to get you where you want to be. Give us a call or shoot us an email anytime, we’d love to talk to you about what the future holds and to alleviate any fears or misconceptions you may have with marketing your company in a new light.

Last month we explored ways advertising firms market a product and reach the intended audience. These might include package design, good website development or social media management to showcase a product and reach audiences. Whether a company is a local business in Eugene, Oregon, or an online store reaching a global audience, marketing techniques can be used to get a product or service out there. Beyond the basics we explored last month, there are well-known psychological tricks used to sell an object. In 1984, Dr. Robert Cialdini wrote about six tools to persuade called, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.” He did not invent these tricks; these are devices that have been used for years in order to persuade or sell. One of the most powerful tools—and often easiest to implement—is the idea of reciprocity. This is to give something of value for free without an obligation to return the favor. This might be for a free month of service, a free trial, samples or a free product. The idea is that people will try the product and either like or build loyalty, so they will want to buy it. The important key to this is that whatever is free must feel like it has a high value to the customer and it must cost little or nothing for the company to give away. Offering a free service like a one month trial of cable or internet is one example of this. Allowing someone to sign up for an account to try a program, game or website for free is also an example. Some companies offer small samples. Think about how many times you have gone to the grocery store and tried a food sample when they are offered. This feels like a much higher value when you are given a whole granola bar or whole juice box rather than a piece of one. Reciprocity sounds easy in theory, but many companies do this incorrectly. Instead of offering samples that represent their products, they give away rejects or inferior copies that don’t represent their product accurately. Instead of offering something for free, the supposedly “free” service or product is dependent on buying something. For example, getting a discount of $10 on $100 of merchandise purchased, or getting a month of free service if a year’s package is purchased, are not reciprocity. These are dependent on doing something to get something. It isn’t that coupons and sales can’t work, but this isn’t the same technique and it isn’t nearly as effective. Free information can be a great way to use reciprocity, especially if it is from a law firm, medical practice or a tech support company which provides specialty knowledge in that field. Having someone share about a specific trade, science or craft can draw in those wishing to learn about this knowledge and related information. This is why blogging and social media management work so well as a venue for reciprocity. On the other hand, when reciprocity isn’t done correctly, all that is reinforced is advertising being crammed down the readers throat—which can be a turn off and drive potential customers away. Techniques like reciprocity take time to develop and are only one aspect of marketing that an advertising agency like Ruby Porter Marketing + Design use.

Marketing is more than advertising; it is how a product is designed, presented and sold. Effective marketing at an advertising firm looks at the overall picture. In today’s market, this also has to take into account how products are viewed, discussed and sold online. At Ruby Porter Marketing + Design, we consider a business’s target audience, come up with strategies that are right for individual businesses and drive business forward with emotional connections through branding. Below are a few—though certainly not all—aspects that go into marketing. Whether local to Eugene, part of a national chain, or selling a product from a website, these are factors that come to play in any business. Logos Having a recognizable brand is part of differentiating a company from their competitors. Having a name without a logo means your product or company will not be recognized. Packaging Attractive colors and extravagant packaging is often considered a must. The key to packaging isn’t always colors but to showcase a product in a memorable way that differentiates them from others. Having a good design that makes the brand name identifiable, memorable, as well as eye-catching are necessary to attract customers. Placement Eye-level and right hand shelves are considered to be better for selling. Novelty items are placed at the front of stores and common items are at the back as far from the entrance as possible. This means people have to walk past impulse buy items they wouldn’t normally spend money on to get to what they need. Unless one owns a retail shop, it isn’t common to have a say where products are placed. Placement is just as important on book covers, website design and organization of packaging, but design theory uses different techniques so the viewer can find what he or she is looking for easily and not get lost among other products. Online presence and placement has to do with search engine optimization and techniques specific to web design development. Mood Psychology plays a major role in effective marketing. They say homeowners who are trying to sell a house should bake bread or cookies to make their house feel like a home. Stores often don’t post clocks so people feel like they have lots of time. They play soothing or familiar music so people feel relaxed. Companies try to create uplifting moods to associate with their product. The words and images these moods create for us influence how we see their product. The language and images associated with the product need to be pleasant, though it could be a fun, cartoon-like-pleasant often used with candy or sweets, or it a different kind of pleasant that uses risqué poses and stimulating language to elicit feelings of sexuality. The mood will depend on the target audience, product and how it is being presented. Website and blog In today’s online world, companies and products need to have a web presence. This involves having a current website with accurate contact and purchasing information. Creating new content that brings people back to your website or draws in new potential customers is more than posting new products. Writing Facebook posts that direct people back to a website without giving new, informative or interesting information that the target audience is interested in will not direct traffic to the product. There is an art to writing content that matches an audience’s interests and needs. An online marketing campaign is one of the specialties of a full-service creative agency. Brand This is about emotional connection to the target audience. Building up product loyalty and creating the feeling that your company is the only one that can satisfy a customer’s needs are part of branding. Ruby Porter Marketing + Design specializes in using branding to create an effective online marketing campaign.

The last couple months we’ve focused on writing skills and mechanics to improve web writing. It is possible you may have identified some weaknesses along the way. What kind of advice does an advertising firm in Eugene, Oregon like Ruby Porter Marketing + Design have for a business that wants to copy edit their own website, web content and documents?* Use the spell check and grammar check on your computer. No, really.* Knowledge is power. Identify the mistakes you tend to repeat. *Use Word’s Find and Replace feature to search for your common mistakes. If you know you tend to place apostrophes incorrectly, you spell a name inconsistently, or you frequently confuse words like “your” and “you’re,” search for these by pressing Control/F.* Use Find to identify echo words, like if you use the word like for more than like one time in like a sentence.*Look for modifiers, passive verbs such as “was,” the word “that,” “just,” “almost” or semi-colons if you tend to overuse them.*Read resources like: Grammargirl.com; Elements of Style; Eats, Shoots and Leaves; and other books, websites, or textbooks that help with grammar. *Use Dictionary.com or Thesaurus.com.*Read good writing. Read bad writing. Edit it. Analyze it. Critique it. Learn from it. The best way to learn something is to teach it. If you are critiquing, you are teaching. That means you are learning.*Proofread. Edit your writing. Proofread again. And again. Put it aside and work on something else for a while. Repeat the process three more times. No, really.*Join a critique group, hire a copy editor, beta readers, make friends with English teachers—and reward English teachers handsomely with brownies. (I’m not at all biased here.)*If you hire a copy editor/manuscript editor, ask for a free sample to see if his/her services are what you are looking for. See if the editor is a good match.*Take classes and workshops to hone skills and learn to identify your weaknesses.* Try this copy editor trick: skim paragraphs backward, looking for misspellings, incorrectly placed punctuation, echo words, etc.

We’ve previously discussed grammar in blog posts and common mistakes to avoid when writing professionally. We’ve covered what makes a piece of writing effective for social media. But what actually makes a piece of writing interesting? Even if you are reaching your target audience, is your writing being presented in a way that is succinct, clear and effective? Below are some common pitfalls and what one can do to make writing stronger. These are techniques used by professional writers, from novelists to advertising firms like Ruby Porter Marketing + Design.

Listed below are words that weaken writing and what can remedy this. These kinds of techniques are often referred to as “mechanics” of writing.

Passive verbs like: was, were, lookedBeware of verbs like was ___ing: was crossing, was licking, were running.It is better to use a stronger verb like: crossed, licked, ran.

Excessive use of limiting modifiers: just, almost, seemed, like, a little, only, even, exactly, hardly, mostlyThese are words that can often be cut without changing the meaning of the writing. Use sparingly.

Too many adverbs: words that usually end in ly—slowly, interestingly, annoyinglyThere isn’t anything wrong with adverbs if used sparingly.

That and other unneeded wordsIf “that” isn’t needed, cut it out.Example: How does he know that the product was shipped on time?

The adjective laundry listAdjectives are modifiers that change the meaning of the noun that comes after them. Often they can be removed completely and not change the meaning of the sentence. This laundry list happens when too many words or phrases are listed together. Descriptions are good, but too much all at once makes the writing harder to read, boring and slows the reader down. Select the best descriptions and break the description up if need be.Laundry list example: Product x has the biggest, shiniest, chrome-plated exterior of all our models, while the interior is a soft, sleek, comfortable, heat-controlled, beautiful, state-of-the-art design.

Sentences are all the same structure, the same length or start with the same wordNotice how many times the following sentence starts with “it” and relies on the “to be” verb for its construction.Example: The Acme 700 is a sleek hover pad. It is designed for your travel convenience. It is portable and reliable. It floats above the ground.

As one of the newer additions to the Partnered Solutions IT/Ruby Porter Marketing + Design team (subsidiaries of Phoenix Business Solutions, LLC), my first four weeks have been a whirlwind of learning the ropes. What better way to dive right in, than to bring everyone together with a night of nerd speak, mingling, scrumptious food and delightful drinks?—The latter is the best way to get nerds to speak. Despite their busy schedules, our managed IT support services company/advertizing firm team volunteered to spend their free time helping me prepare. Together the ideas flowed and morphed into an evening far beyond what I could have imagined. With the help of many astounding individuals and businesses, we pulled together an evening worthy of the fresh spring sunshine that rolled into town for us. Sarver Winery and Falling Sky Brewery stepped up to provide our guests with refreshments that justified the lengthy line to obtain them. Not only did they provide beverages we couldn’t get enough of, but they sent witty staff to complete the package. Ian, Sarver’s veteran wine counter extraordinaire, had knowledge of the vineyard and wine they create that would make one wonder if he was a Sarver himself. Scott, from Falling Sky, was not only charismatic but he’s the mastermind brewer behind the unique and tasty brews that accompanied him. The LCC Center for Meeting and Learning provided a spread that was mouthwatering and a catering staff that was not only kind and friendly, but went out of their way to please. (More than one of those angels went out of their way to slip me shrimp-stuffed cucumber cups and chocolate covered strawberries amidst my hosting.) None of that should have been a surprise after meeting one of their fearless leaders, Shelly Kane. This woman had an attention to detail that few are capable of. Because of her, we evaded more than one small catastrophe. Parties to Go helped us transition from an office to a party venue in a flash and provided us with a portable, heated space to accommodate all of our guests. Their team was quick, efficient and worked seamlessly. Last, but certainly not least, Beth Tassan & Brittany Quick-Warner from the Eugene Chamber of Commerce were helpful, friendly and patient while ensuring that we created the most successful event possible. We truly could not have done it without them! As if Brittany’s role with the Chamber isn’t enough, she’s also the co-owner of the wildly unique, Blue Bus Creatives. The PhotoSwagon provided our guests and staff with strip after strip of photographic evidence of the good times that were had. By the time the evening wrapped up, it was clear that the 12+ hour days leading up to the event were more than worth it. In three short hours, I not only had the opportunity to sip amazing wine, snack on delectable food and mingle with the new friends I share an office with, but I got the rare opportunity to meet our clients. What better way to come together with the professional community than in a setting that was relaxed and fun? To everyone who made it to our Business After Hours, I can’t thank you all enough for the wonderful evening that transpired. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to be introduced to such a tremendous group of successful and innovative individuals. With over 200 attendees representing 125 businesses, we can call it a success! Special recognition goes out to several businesses that attended in full force: Bent Ericksen, DocuTRAK, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Feynman Group, Home Federal Bank, La-Z-Boy Furniture and Summit Bank. A team that works well enough together that they opt to spend even more time together outside of the office can be a force to be reckoned with! I can’t wait to experience all of the relationships that will develop as a result of this evening! One final shout out to all who helped make our Business After Hours a success: Eugene Chamber of Commerce, The LCC Center for Meeting & Learning, Parties to Go, Sarver Winery, Falling Sky Brewery, Blue Bus Creatives, King Estate Winery, Radisson Hotel – Portland, and Blue Dog Mead. THANK YOU!

Businesses doing web writing for products on a website, articles for blog posts or social media posts must present themselves professionally in order to make a good impression. Using bad grammar can make or break an otherwise good piece of writing. For some businesses, the solution to this is having an in-house copy editor. For other companies, it is hiring a marketing company like Ruby Porter Marketing + Design in Eugene to write and edit content. There are common grammatical mistakes copy editors find again and again. It doesn’t mean you don’t know the rules; it just means you may be busy and miss fine details. The writer of material isn’t always the best person to copy edit their own material. If you already know the rules of grammar and use them in your own writing correctly, this is an area where you have a strength. If you aren’t aware of a rule, need to look at examples to use it correctly, or typically use a manual to refresh your memory, this is an area you might want to practice in order to improve. Below are a few examples of grammar rules that people know, but commonly forget.Pronouns, Proper Nouns and Capitalization ProblemsCapitalize titles and names: Father, King George, President Obama, Don’t capitalize: my father, the king, the presidentIncorrect punctuation and incorrectly placed punctuation with quotation marksGood example: “Facebook still dominates the social media world,” reports Rawstory.com.Can you spot the mistakes in the following examples? “Facebook still dominates the social media world”, reports Rawstory.com. “We calculate an increase in the use of social media for advertising purposes, which affects how we do business?” said the president of Ruby Porter + Design. “Where the heck did that quotation mark go? “It’s even more annoying when the quotes do this. “N dash used instead of M dash (hyphen instead of a dash) The following uses a hyphen or N dash (one single dash): mother-in-law The following uses an M dash, a long dash or two dashes to represent a break, interruption: “I was on my way to the—Whoa, what are the neighbors doing? Honey, get the binoculars.”More hyphens: Hyphenate numbers, ages and descriptive words when they become a compound modifier which is often before a noun. There are a lot of exceptions. Below are all correct examples. The tie is emerald green The emerald-green tie She is a twelve-year-old. She is twelve years old. Chapter Twenty-one up to Chapter Ninety-nine use hyphens.

Commas and Introductory Clauses The Chicago Manual of Style says to use an introductory adverbial phrase set off by a comma to avoid misreading. The MLA Style Manual says to use a comma for longer introductory phrases. The most important thing to remember is to use it for clarity. If a sentence is long or doesn’t make sense without the pause, add it in. Good: In the winter when rainfall is the heaviest, more ladder accidents occur cleaning gutters than other seasons.Semi-colon Misuse and Overuse There are a few ways to use a semi-colon: one is in a list (like this one); one is to connect two sentences—the second sentence should depend on the first; use it for longer sentences rather than short ones; and the last hint is to use it sparingly as though it is a strong spice. *Semi-colons are not typically used in dialogue or actions in stories and novels.Correct: Mr. Darcy is full of pride; that’s why the novel is has the word pride in it.Also Correct: Mr. Darcy is full of pride. That’s why the novel is has the word pride in it.Incorrect: Mr. Darcy is full of pride, that’s why the novel is has the word pride in it. (This is a comma splice.)Correct: Man proposes. God disposes. (Classic example from Elements of Style. A semi-colon could be used, but sentences will work perfectly fine with a period.)Words that are commonly mistaken for each other such as: manor/manner, fiancée/fiancé, waste/waist, blond/blonde, there/their/they’re, your/you’re, it’s/its, lay/lieMisplaced apostrophes Apostrophes before the letter “s” represent the possessive. After the letter “s” represent the plural possessive.Correct: They were John’s books. (Possessive) It was the villagers’ ransom. (Plural possessive) They were Dr. Martins’s sons (Singular possessive—Martins is the family name.) CDs cost five dollars (No apostrophe--It is not possessive!) *Be aware, there are exceptions to every rule because English is complicated.